Action for player-pianos and the like.



A. H. FOSS. ACTION FOB PLAYER YIANS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED 113.26, 1912.

Patented June 24, 1913.

y ,(ZMMQ@ Y Afurtherobject resides Vin thev particular b,

linatruments, and has` as its particularobject rods being shown in s etion.V

thereto a fulcrum` member 8.

U-Nrrn amara-s, PATENT crimen.

H. Foss, orhcniago, ILpINoIs, assionon, BY DIRECTAND Mnsma ASSIGN- s., orfdnnmnmp ro" fwrr,nraat,lc. ejCoLLrGNoN AND ONE-THIRD rro ALBERT Vor Carcano', LmNors.

specification@ Letters Patent.

.PatentedJuncfl;1918.

'Application .also February 26191'2. serial No. 679,937. ff f Be itl-known that I, '`iif-u nr: \v 11.719055,A a citizen of theE United -States',r'siding at Chiu cago, "in "thecounty v'of'Cok and State of Illinosfhave invented a certain-'new and usefulmprovement in yActions for Player-fi Pianos and the-"Like, of Wh'ich'the following is afull, clear,fconcise, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this'specitcation. Y Y.

My invent-ion relates to a new and improved "form: of vactionfo'r automatic 'musical the provision'V of Yan action which will lhavea greater' etciency "than 'those in use whereby. thesizef-ofthe pneumatic mayA belessened and consequently thespace occupied` in anl instrument by theope ng `pneumatics will be decreased.

arrangement and com n described; e i

Referring to: 'the' accompanying [drawingsL l `iguxfe 1 is ljan ele tionall'viewv partlyv in sectio'rishowingftwoSets or banks; of stri i in pneumaticsaiid 'tige cooperating sticker an view of aportion f Fig.V 1,' the' sticker ation of parts 'heref of the banks show,"

.'l`hroughoutl the separate views the same element is designated. by the sametreference numeral.

Referring more particularly to the draw-4 ings, 1 is a base membei'ftor board which is separated from a second board or member 2 by means of strips 3, leaving a windway 4v between the two members. Above the board 2 is a stationary side 5 of one of my improved pneumatics, the entire pneumatic being designated 'las 6. Pneumatic G has a movable side v7 which has attached 4A resilient stop 19 of felt' or similar material placed in the pneumatic on the upper surface of theboard 5 to prevent thecomlete'collapse of the pneumatic. The mem-l er 8is attached to the stationary piece 5 by means of a iexible hinge as 9. The stationary plate'5 is separated from the piece 2 by means of distance pieces 10-11, leaving a space 12, between the members 5 and 2 into which atmospheric air may enter. 5

13 is a passageway connecting with thel the art.

interior ofv the pneumatic 6 and running through members .5, 10 and 2, to a connection with the passagelll which connects-iin turn with the valve chamber 15. Chamber 15 connects by a port 16 with' the wind chest 4 above mentioned. Y

Mounted in the -chestl is a valve 17 which is operated by a diaphragm 18 which is mounted on the upper, Asurface of the board 1 and serves to separate the windv Cheste from the pouch 20. Connecting with the pouch 20 is a passage-'21 connected in turn to one otl a series of tubes 22 leadingto" The pouches' 20 the' usual tracker hoard. and'passages 21 arc normally exhausted by means of a connection with the Windf chest 4 'which is furnished byA bleedv holesl in the y th imbles .21,

pheric air to the .valve chest n wm be. understood that tthe.chests/4. :s

connected .to a suitablen source-.of tension.

From the foregoing Athe operatioirof my pneumatic will. be clear to thoselskille'd in rl`he member 7 is extended rbeyondthepfulcrum member 8 for some distance and normally Aengagesya tappet piece 24 adjustably Y' mounted on a block 25, which in turn is carried by one of a series of Stickers The extension of the member .7 just mentioned is cut. away a short distancel beyond the fulcrumpoint, leaving fingers?? which are the parts actually in contact with the tappet blocks 24. obtained between the successive fingers 27 of the pneumatics in the top row or' tier so that the lingerstof thesecond 0r lower tier of pneumaties may be placed vertically below the line of division between the pneumatics of the top -tier and Still leave room for the tubes 22 between the fingers 2T of the upper and lower tiers.l Fig. 1, the member llof the top` tier of the pncumaticslprojccts suliiciently so as to form a support or the tracker tubes 22 which pass through aperturesnot Shown in the member 11. This arrangement of the member 11 and the tubes 29, is not shown in Fig. 2 in order to. show the relative position of the tubes and fingers 27 in the two tiers of pneumatics.

By the arrangement just described, but

As shown in Y been collapsed and no'such principally owing to the construction of the pneumatic 6 Witha movable top member fulcruiiied to the fixed member and act ing directly on the sticker,l am able to eliminate one row of .pneumatics entirely and place all the striking pneumatics for a player Vpiano in tWo rows, Whereas ordinarily three are necessary. The eiiiciencyV of this combination willbe appreciated-.by thosev skilled in the art, f whenf'I state thatl find it unnecessary to use any springs, with iny pneumatics to operi them after they: have spring flislshoiivnV in the drawing.' s

In the operation ot'my' device the ppiieiu matics 6 standanormally in" tlieqpositin shown in Fig. 1.,' -Wlicmhowever-the music sheet uncovers a port correspoiidingzto one `of the tubes 22, a puff o'airis' admitted under the corresponding diaphragm 18.

-Owing to thc partial vacuum existing` in the wind chest 4, the atmospheric pressure-thus admitted raises thc valve 17, closingt-herport in the member 22 `and connecting the interior of the pneumatic 6 with the wind chest through-.the channels 13 and 14, the chest 15,

and the port 16,v The vacuujiin'lthus intro-A duced into thepneum'at-ic collapses the saine, at the same .time velevatiitig theend 27' of the movable port of the pneumaticr and raising the sticker 26 to operate the-remainder of..

the piano action and sound a note."l During the movement of the upper board of the pneumatic, it rocks'around the-lower edge of' the fulcrum piece 8 tliushavingnot only an up and-'down movement,but also a certain amount of motion longitudinally 'of' itself. This longitudinal action, I considerl especially important, since it lessen's slippage at thc point'of Contact between the exten` sion piece 27 and the member 2.4. This is because the stickers 26, as is well known in the art, have not only a longitudinal movement, but also .a'lateral movement, due to the eti'ect of the supporting levers` "This lateral or horizontal .movement 'of v the sticker produces lost motion or slippage inv the ordinary pneumatic action, -and conse quently Waste-s power. Since space `iii the piano is limited any gain in eiiciency in the transmission between the neumatic'and the hammer'is greatly tobe e'sired. 1 It will be understood that While the device shown and described is the preferred form of my invention, that various li-Iioditicatipns thereof maybe madeA -without departing from thef lspirit of my; invention, and

f projecting laterally therefrom,f.sai d board being adapted to rock' on saidmeixibegfaiid a sticker rod extending 'substantially at rightangles to said bo'ardprovidedgwith'a I tudinal movement, said sticker rodt 'being adapted to move laterally vrheifif operated by said finger, whereby the slip 'between .said

finger and said contact member-'fis`-reduced 2.*'In af device of the class described, a pneumatic Hcomprising in combination, a

contact member coperating with finger Wheeby Said 'sticker' .md is gv'eii' a longixed bottom boardha movable top board, a f fulcrui'iiinember rigidly attached ltfosaid top board lfor contacting with said L 'bottoin` board, ai fiexible hinge foratt-aching' said fulcrum tofsaid bottom gboard saidA 'top board havin-g al finger projectingA beyond directly with said finger.' ,v

InA a device of the classl described ,in

combination, a pneumatic havingv a li'xed board, a movable board,` a ulcru to said movable boardl neai` one efixed board upon which said movable ttached rocks, said movable bOildhaviigiga projection extending bey-ond said fulcrum, and a Ysaid fulcrum, and a sticker vrod contacting.

,of said sticker rod having aV contact memberthereon contacting directly with '.saidpiojection..

4.', In a pneumatic instrumeiitinf-combina'- tion, an upperand a lower wind chest, striking pneumatics mounted ontop ofsaid ivind chests, boards mounted on said Wind chests along the edgesthereof Sspacin vsaid pneumatics from 'saidw'iiid cliestst e-boards' on the upper wind chest'projectingbbeyond the l edge thereof and having apertures,l 1and tracker tubes mountedjin'said apertures.

Tn witness wlicreo f ,fI ,hereunto subscribe my name this 24th daylo'f February A; D.v

'JANDREW .Vitnesses: A A. IJ. J ES,

O. M. Waiiiviicii, y. 

